Afterlife
by newdivide1701
Summary: B-4 is here and he's all that's left of Data, or is he?  Just where did he come from, and who, exactly, is he?  LaForge doesn't know but he's sure as heck going to try and find out... for Data's sake.
1. Chapter 1

This story eliminates the "Needs of the Many" on Star Trek Online

It was only a few days away from Christmas in 2383 when Geordi LaForge, chief engineer of the USS Enterprise, was sitting at his desk in his quarters with a PADD working on an unusual starship design he was proposing to the Vulcan Science Academy that he nicknamed the Jellyfish. It was more of a hobby than anything else, but he had been contemplating about his future onboard the Enterprise for quite some time now after serving chief engineer for this ship and its immediate predecessor for 18 years.

He looked out the viewport in his quarters and remembered the one thing he didn't like about them, they were aimed away from Earth as the Enterprise was in orbit for some minor repairs and personnel transfer. He kept looking out seeing where his future lies when the computer announced that it was 1100 hours. It was a good thing that he asked the computer to remind him because he had developed a bad habit of losing track of time whenever he was working on the Jellyfish. But he took another moment worrying about something else.

He got a call from Captain Bruce Maddox from the Daystrom Institute in San Francisco urgently saying that he needed to see Geordi. Although Bruce did stop B-4, the android prototype to Data, from being disassembled by the Daystrom Institute for study, he couldn't help but remember that Maddox tried the same thing 18 years prior to Data, where Data went to court just to be recognized as having the same rights as anyone else. This also made Geordi remember in horror of the fateful day that Data sacrificed himself 4 years ago when he destroyed the Reman warbird Scimitar to save the Enterprise and her crew, yet costing him his life in the process.

The computer reminded again a minute later when unknown thoughts ran through his head which involved B-4. But he couldn't worry about them now as he left his quarters heading down towards to transporter room 2, which each step made him slightly more and more uneasy.

Geordi beamed down to the Daystrom Institute's own transporter pad which he looked out of the transparent aluminum structure and saw San Fransisco bay from Angel Island, as well as Alcatraz Island. He went to the receptionist and asked for Bruce Maddox, but before he could page Bruce, Geordi saw him coming up the escalator that lead down to the Institute itself which was both down the hill and under the bay itself.

"Commander LaForge," said Maddox as he extended his hand which Geordi received, but tried to hide his uneasiness. Not because this was the man who nearly won the case that Data was sentient, but rather does this have anything to do with B-4 and the last surviving bits of Data?

"Hey, what's this all about?" said Geordi being very direct. He looked at Maddox through his ocular implants and noticed that Bruce was concerned about something, as though he saw a ghost. "You wouldn't call me like this unless it was an emergency."

"Well..." Maddox got stumped, as if he didn't know how to put it. "I think we better go down to my lab, shall we?" They reached the escalator leading down to the laboratories of the Daystrom Institute and Maddox took a brief moment to notice the expression in Geordi's face, "Oh, don't worry. B-4's alright, just...

Yesterday, he began wondering about his history. Who found him on Omicron Theta and when? He was also wondering if it was before you discovered Lore, or even if it was before Data was discovered by the crew of the Tripoli."

"Yeah, I was wondering that myself," said Geordi. He looked out the transparent aluminum windows as they dropped below sea level, seeing the kelp farms that are used to feed the Earth's populace via replicators. He didn't like going under the water like this because of how the pressure affected his ears. Especially since despite him using his ocular implants, he still has this bad habit of using his natural senses.

"Well, I asked a colleague of mine to help me, Dr. Blake Sumner," said Maddox. "He's with the Department of Archaeological Engineering, deciphering technologies of ancient and long dead species, like the Slavers. The 3 of us got together this morning to begin, and Blake began by quantum dating B-4. It's standard operating procedure according to him."

"We did the same thing," said Geordi. "Lt. Emojung did the scan since it was her expertise, and she found that B-4 was built around the same time as Data."

Maddox and Geordi reached the 4th floor down on the escalator which they got off and turned the corner on their right into the labs. "Geordi," said Maddox, once again struggling to find the right words making Geordi more and more curious, yet uneasy, as to what's going on. "When Lieutenant..."

"Emojung."

"Emojung. When she scanned B-4, did she scan his head?"

"No, she didn't. I think she scanned one of his arms. What's going on?" Geordi asked very insistently.

It took Maddox a moment to regain some composure. Geordi could tell that there was something wrong, something that is leaving Maddox uncertain about anything. "When Blake scanned B-4, he found... an anomaly in his scan."

"Wait, what kind of anomaly?" Geordi asked when they both reached Maddox's lab. When they entered, Geordi saw B-4 sitting in a diagnostic chair fully active. Right beside B-4 was a somewhat shorter man, about an inch or 2 shorter than Geordi, noticeably big boned with dark unkempt hair and a beard to match, wearing a standard white lab coat. He reminded Geordi of a 21st century actor by the name of Jack Black from a movie he was coerced into watching... the title escapes him, but it was about a substitute teacher teaching kids how to be rock stars rather than furthering their education. It didn't really appeal to Geordi because of his support of literacy in children.

"Hello, Geordi," said B-4.

"Hi, how are you?" Geordi replied.

"Physically I am functioning within normal parameters," said B-4. Geordi thought it was strange that B-4 included the word "physically."

"Bruce," said the man aiming towards Maddox, then turned towards Geordi and extended his hand. "Oh, hi. Dr. Blake Sumner." He turned back to Maddox and said, "Test results are in. They matched perfectly."

"Oh, my god," said Maddox quietly, looking at B-4 as if he were a ghost. "Are you sure?"

"Ran the scan 3 times," said Sumner.

"Wait a minute," said Geordi, demanding that he gets involved no matter what. "What tests matched? What are you talking about 'anomaly'? What does this have to do with B-4's head?"

"The anomaly," said Maddox, "Blake found that B-4's head was nearly 500 years older than his body."

"476 to be exact," said Sumner.

"Wait a minute, how's that..." Geordi stopped realizing why it looked like they all had seen a ghost as he looked towards B-4, then looked back at both Maddox and Sumner. "You're not saying..."

"Did the scan myself," said Blake. "B-4 and Bruce told me about the time Data went back to the 19th century, his body returned to the 24th, but his head stayed behind and remained there for 500 years."

"476," B-4 corrected. Geordi turned back to B-4, completely speechless and in total disbelief. He wanted to ask B-4 many questions, but he didn't know what questions to ask. Made it worse for him that he wanted, no, needed to ask B-4, not Dr's Maddox or Sumner. But he couldn't.

"We also did a comparison between B-4, Lore and Data's records," Sumner when he noticed that Maddox was in the same state of disbelief and Geordi, to the point of being nearly paralyzed, "looking for differences in the 3 of them." He then handed Geordi the PADD he had with him. "Lore has a type L phase discriminating amplifier; both B-4 and Data have a type R.

We took some measurements. Lore's legs are 87.205 centimetres in length; B-4's are 87.201 centimetres. We looked into Data's records, 87.201.

I also looked at the power signatures of their solar induction power cells. B-4 and Data's matches perfectly. There's also..."

Dr. Sumner stopped when he saw Geordi looking over the test results. Though the evidence was right there in his hand, he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"According to these test results," Geordi said turning to B-4, and B-4 continued by saying, "That it appears that I am Data."


	2. Chapter 2

Dr. Maddox and Sumner continued to review the test results, seeing if there was something that they missed, on the main computer with B-4 hovering behind them. He looked over and saw Geordi looking out of the lab's window, staring at the transparent aluminum wall outside that kept millions of tonnes of water out of the institute.

B-4 walked over to him trying to get his attention, "Geordi? Are you alright?"

"I don't know," he said after a few ominous seconds as he turned towards B-4. "I should be happy that you're alive. But... who the hell was he?"

"You are referring to the apparent Soong android that was destroyed with the Scimitar," said B-4.

"Yeah," said Geordi. "The last time I saw you, you were running down the Enterprise's corridor, heading towards the Scimitar. Only it wasn't you. You know what's worse?"

"That you did not know when the other Data had replaced me," B-4 replied.

"Worse," said Geordi. "I couldn't tell him apart from you, Data. Not in the slightest."

"Geordi," said B-4, "with your approval, may I continue to be known as B-4?"

This took Geordi aback even when he asked, "Why?"

"Geordi," said B-4, "with the exception of inaccessible memory file fragments, my memories began on Kolaris 3 with me opening my eyes and seeing Data looking down on my head. Then Data uploaded his memories into my positronic net."

"You called him 'Data'," Geordi noted.

"Yes," said B-4. "Someone was able to recreate Dr. Soong's work, and he died saving the Enterprise and her crew. And from what I can interpret from his memories, he believed he was Data. And I believe I have the obligation to allow him to be remembered that way."

"Even though you don't know why he was created," Geordi thought out loud.

"That is true," said B-4. "However, his actions after stardate 46010.1, the earliest possible time that I was replaced, do not indicate any maliciousness in his nature. In fact, quite the contrary, he was good natured up until he downloaded his memories into my positronic net."

"I hope you're right, B-4," said Geordi forcing himself to call his android friend B-4. "But what I still don't get is..." Geordi stopped when he saw a holographic display of B-4 internal and external workings in different colours that Dr.'s Maddox and Sumner were overlooking. "Wait a minute. What is that?"

"The results of the quantum dating scan," said Sumner. "Colour coded for when B-4's parts were fabricated. Most of his head is in red cause they're 500 years old. Most of his body is in blue, built 46 years ago."

"Could you zoom in on his head?" Geordi asked which they complied. "Right there," he then said pointing at some computer chips in B-4's head that were the same shade of red as the rest of his head, minus portions of his face. "Those are his memory engrams."

"So?" asked Sumner in confusion, which caused Maddox's eyes to widen.

"Didn't you have to replace Data's memory engrams a short while ago?" asked Maddox in verification.

"Yeah I did," said Geordi. "They were damaged by a Son'a weapon a few years ago on the Baku homeworld. It was suppose to be a simple anthropological study on the Baku, but it turned out to be a conspiracy to relocate them illegally. And they shot Data to keep their secret.

"Also, look at the left side of his head," Geordi also pointed out. "We had to repair his epidermal layer on his face twice before, but only once over his left eye. And there's no skin damage to his neck."

"Yes, I see," said B-4. "You are attempting to determine a possible time frame to when I was replaced by Data."

"Yeah," said Geordi. "When the Borg tried to stop Zephram Cochrane's warp experiment in 2063, they removed a good portion of Data's epidermal layer on the left side of his face, and his eye covering. B-4 doesn't have that type of damage."

"The Borg did what?" asked Sumner, making Geordi realize that information on time travel, and techniques regarding time travel were suppressed by Starfleet intelligence to reduce the risk of someone trying to go back in time to change history or to create an alternate reality that can make things worse for the other time line.

"But B-4 has repairs to the left side of his head over his ear," noted Geordi. "This was... what happened again?"

"According to Data's memories," said B-4,"he was retrieving radioactive material from a space probe that crashed on Barkon 4 on stardate 47611.2."

"Right," said Geordi remembering that incident.

"However he had no memories as to what transpired until he was retrieved by the Enterprise," B-4 continued. "Is it possible that was when the exchange took place?"

"I don't know," said Geordi after a resigned sign. "You showed the same damage as Data did, but I don't know how much alike they are."

"But why bother making sure the damage is the same?" Maddox asked. "We never knew what happened down on that planet, so no way to that he was damaged that way."

"What about other damage or something that happened to either android?" asked Sumner. "With all the hell Data's been through, chances are there's more."

"On stardate 47615.2," said B4, "The Enterprise encountered the D'Arsay archive that began to transform the Enterprise into a D'Arsay city, as well as Data into its culture."

Geordi looked over B-4's scan and nodded his head, "There are signs of Data being partially transformed and restored during that time. So it has to be some time after."

"On stardate 48650.1," B-4 examined again, "Data's emotion chip was fused into his neural net, and had created a bypass on stardate 48652.2 to allow him to engage and disengage it on command."

Geordi looked at the scan again, "No sign of the fusion of the chip because the section was removed, but there are signs that there was a bypass set up. The time signature is off a slight bit, but it's still in normal parameters."

"I am sorry, Geordi," said B-4, "But I have no further information as to any other detectable maintenance on Data to help correlate the scan. As well I do not have my diagnostic information as to the electromagnetic signature that a warp field leaves in my electro-servo fluid prior to Data finding me on Kolaris 3"

"Don't worry about it, B-4," said Geordi trying to comfort his friend, despite without his chip he doesn't really need comforting emotionally. "But we now have a much closer time frame as to when it happened."

"Between stardates 47611.2 and 50893.5," B-4 confirmed. "However Data's memories do not detect any disruption with his memories during that time frame."

"And we still don't know how he was constructed," said Maddox.

"There is a possibility," said Dr. Sumner. The others noted that he had a grim look on his face. "Have any of you heard of section 31?"

"The only reference to section 31 that I am aware of," B-4 answered, "is within the Starfleet charter, specifically Article 14, Section 31 that makes allowances during times of extraordinary threats."

"It's also the 'official' name of an agency within Starfleet that conducts secret missions and black ops projects. Conspiracies and black ops projects is sort of a hobby of mine," said Sumner. "Rumour also has it that they tried to use a virus to wipe out the Dominion Founders."

"Genocide!" Geordi said with great shock, the idea that an organization in Starfleet would commit such a crime.

"It is conceivable," said B-4. "Sometime in 2358, the USS Pegasus was equipped with a Federation cloaking device capable of phasing through solid objects by Starfleet intelligence, which was in direct violation of the Treaty of Algeron."

"I know, but still..." said Geordi still in shock over the attempt at genocide, making him doubt his remaining days in Starfleet even further. Getting himself together after his out burts, "Okay, what does this section 31 have to do with duplicating Data?"

"Around the time, what was the greatest threat to the Federation?" Sumner asked.

"The Dominion," B-4 replied.

"Right," said Sumner. "So if there were a fight between a Jem'Hadar soldier and a Soong android, who would bet in favour of?"

"Based upon what we know of the Jem'Hadar," B-4 continued, "I calculate the odds at 35 to 1 in favour of the android."

"They did what I tried to do to Data," said Maddox while supporting himself on his desk, still regretting what he nearly did nearly 20 years before. He nearly won a JAG court case that Data was property only to come about full circle where he recently had to fight for B-4's right as an individual. Now someone apparently bypassed the Articles of the Federation to create an android that isn't protected because no one really knew.

"Yeah," said Sumner sympathetically knowing how much this hurt his friend. "They might have found a way to use transporter duplication. It's happened before."

"Dr. Sumner," B-4 spoke up, "there is one thing I am curious about. Would it not make more sense for me to have returned to duty while they experimented on Data? Thereby allowing the conspiracy to take place without anyone's knowledge?"

"Maybe, I guess. I don't know," said Sumner, admitting he doesn't have all of the answers. "But either way there is no way to prove it, not without Data's... remains."

Geordi knew that Sumner was trying not to say anything in a hurtful way, but he understood that what other way was there to say it? When he saw the Scimitar explode, and seeing Captain Picard shaking his head when Troi asked about Data, that was when he knew that his friend for 15 years was dead. The explosion would have left nothing of Data except... "Wait, there may be something. LaForge to Enterprise."

A couple of hours later, Geordi returned to the institute with a black box where everyone had reconvened in Dr. Sumner's lab. Geordi was thankful that the lab was on the same floor so there isn't that much of a change on the pressure of his ears. When he walked in, he saw Dr. Sumner chatting with a gorgeous woman on the screen, with Dr. Maddox taking readings from B-4.

"...and the equipment is all ready for later," said the woman on the screen.

"Um, sweetheart, I thought we agreed not to talk about that in public," Sumner replied.

"Blake, as long as they don't know what we're talking about, why worry?" she said with a devilish smile on her face.

"You always loved torturing me that way," he replied.

"Always. See you later," she said with a loving smile that Sumner returned. He then turned back to everyone after signing off. "My wife, Vanessa."

Geordi and Maddox gave Sumner a glance that asked how he got so lucky. "Dr. Sumner," B-4 speaking up, "may I inquire as to the equipment she was..."

"No! No. It's kind of personal," Sumner interrupted. He looked at Geordi and the mysterious black box he had in his hands. "Is that it?"

"Yeah," said Geordi as he placed the box on the table and opened it. "These were Data's memory engrams that were damaged when the Son'a shot him. Captain Picard wanted to hold on to them in case they needed to be used as evidence against anyone involved with the Baku relocation. They were not needed, thankfully."

Geordi handed the box over to Sumner and said, "The memory crystals themselves are damaged, but their outer casings are undamaged."

"Cool," said Sumner. "Thanks. I've got B-4's memory chips ready." Sumner took Data's memory chips to a table with the scanner on top of it.

Geordi then looked over to B-4 who seemed distracted, and walked over to him. "Hey, how are you doing?"

"I am fine, Geordi," said B-4. "It is somewhat... disconcerting having Lore's memory engrams in my positronic net."

"I'm sorry," said Geordi. "I didn't know of any other way to do it. I thought you'd like to see the test results as we saw them."

"That is appreciated, Geordi. Thank you," B-4 replied.

"M-372, and M-372 with burn marks," is what the others heard Sumner say as he put the 2 chips into the scanner. "HAL?"

"Good morning, Dr. Sumner," said a very mechanical voice from a computer that Geordi remember hearing from a very old movie with an avatar that looked more like a red eye inside of a lens.

"What can I say?" said Sumner to the others. "I've been a Stanley Kubrick fan for years. And the funny thing is that HAL-9000 never said 'Good morning, Dave'."

He turned back to HAL, then turned back to the others and said, "Yet the funny thing I keep reading how Martin Scorsese was one of the greatest directors of the 20th century, and I don't see how. The emotion of his movies is very bland and stale, and his overall presentation looks like they are suffering from terminal erectile dysfunction. Now Christopher Nolan, there's a movie director. I like J.J. Abrams work, but I wish he could have held off on the lens flare."

"Um, Blake?" Maddox asked as he pointed out HAL to Sumner.

"Huh? Oh right," said Sumner as he turned back to HAL. "Sorry, I am a big movie fan from the 20th and 21st century. Seeing how people saw space travel before First Contact and alien encounters, and seeing how they were at the time.

HAL?"

"Yes, Dr. Sumner," said HAL.

"Please run a comparative scan with the memory chip in scanner 1, and compare the undamaged portions of that chip to the one in scanner 2," said Sumner. "Run quantum dating scan, phase variance scan, radioactivity, molecular imagine, routine scans."

"Understood, Dr. Sumner," said HAL, "commencing."

"Blake, there is something I realized," said Maddox. "We actually have no real reason to believe that this section 31 of yours actually exists. Let alone being able to recreate Data."

"That's true. But we'll know in," as Sumner looked at his watch and counted down, "3...2...1."

"Scan complete," said HAL with Sumner raising his eyebrows with a grin of smugness. "Scan results of subjects' 118-Alpha and 118-Beta matches 100% within described parameters."

HAL's answer caused Sumner's eyes to bug out and his grin faded immediately. He then turned back to HAL and said, "Repeat?"

"Scan results subjects' 118-Alpha and 118-Beta matches 100% is described parameters," HAL repeated.

"Shit, that can't be right!" he said as he tried to match another pair of memory engrams. "M-377, now where's the other one? Here it is. HAL, repeat the scan on these 2 memory chips."

"Understood, Dr. Sumner," said HAL, "commencing."

"Wait, what's going on?" Geordi demanded with Sumner ignoring him. The scan only took 30 seconds but it felt like 30 years to Sumner. "Scan complete," said HAL. "Scan results of subjects' 118-Gamma and 118-Delta matches 100% in described parameters."

Sumner repeated the scan for the third time with HAL once again stating, "Scan results of subjects' 118-Epsilon and 118-Zeta matches 100% is described parameters."

"Doc, what the hell's going on!" Geordi demanded this time.

"This is impossible," said Sumner looking even paler than Maddox did when he met Geordi earlier that day. "HAL's saying that both sets of memory chips are genuine. Neither one was replicated."

"What?" asked Geordi with heavy confusion, turning as pale as he did when he saw earlier tests results that B-4 was in reality Data.

"Both sets are from B-4's head. And both are from Data's," said Sumner. "Transporter duplication would have a phase variance discrepancy. Replicated would have a different quantum dating result. Molecular imagine from both sets are exactly the same."

"Blake, what are you saying?" asked Maddox?

With a blank look on his face as he turned to Maddox, Geordi and B-4, he said, "I'm saying... both B-4 and Data are the same android."

End part 2


	3. Chapter 3

Is it possible that the Thalaron radiation somehow transported Data to the past and discovered by Shinzon?" Maddox asked after hearing the news from Dr. Sumner's computer HAL. "We know so little about it."

"I don't think so," said Geordi. "Or Data's memory engrams and B-4's would be an exact match as well, along with everything else."

"This isn't helping," said Sumner as sat at the computer who then turned towards Maddox, Geordi and B-4. "I looked over everything that HAL could dig up on the Bassen Rift and correlate that with Data, and the Titan's sensor logs, at least those released to the public, found traces of tripolymer composites, molybdenum-cobalt alloys, bioplast sheeting, cortenide and some other stuff that Data was made with.

"That means that Data is dead in the Bassen Rift, and he's standing here, alive and well."

"I too am at a loss as to how this is possible," said B-4. "I have completed 2702 possible scenarios, and none have shown a possible explanation."

"Blake, you mentioned transporter duplication?" asked Maddox.

"No, it would have shown a phase discrepancy right away," said Geordi.

"Yeah," Sumner agreed. "I've got HAL doing a thorough scan of Data's and B-4's chips looking for any discrepancy. So far the only detectable discrepancy he's found is that Data's memory engrams were damaged by a Son'a weapon. Other than that..."

"How long is it going to take?" Geordi asked.

"I don't know, since we don't know what we're looking for," said an equally frustrated Sumner. "I've set the scanners to go down as far as they can go, but even HAL has his limits. It could be hours... days... hell maybe even..."

"Dr. Sumner," HAL interrupted, "I have detected a possible discrepancy between the 2 subjects."

"He's never done that to me before," said Sumner while Geordi thought of asking what HAL meant by possible. "What is it HAL?"

"There is a minute discrepancy in the quantum flux of the 2 subjects which is just within 0.02 angstroms," HAL reported.

"What could have caused it?" Geordi asked.

"I am sorry Commander LaForge," said HAL. "I have reached the limit of my scanners and cannot do a more in depth scan."

"HAL, is it my memory engrams or Data's that has the discrepancy?" B-4 asked.

"I am sorry, Mr. B-4," said HAL. "I was only able to detect the possible discrepancy between the 2 memory engrams."

"Here, HAL. Scan my watch," said Sumner as he unstrapped the Velcro from his watch and placed it into one of the scanners. "Same parameters to when you detected the discrepancy."

"Understood, Dr. Sumner," said HAL, "commencing."

Everyone was holding their breath, except B-4, as the seconds felt like they passed into hours, wondering if they were going to hit another roadblock that they can't get around, or be sent back to square 1.

"Scan complete," said HAL which increased the tensions of the 2 scientists and the engineer. "Quantum flux scan of subject 118-Eta matches the scan on subject 118-Epsilon."

"Epsilon," said Sumner as he looked at the memory engram with that designation on HAL's screen. "That's Data's memory engram. For some reason, B-4's quantum flux has that anomaly."

Everyone then turned towards B-4 with great confusion that the android shared.

"HAL," said B-4. "Assuming the quantum flux scans of subject 118-Epsilon and 118-Eta are normal, can you formulate a hypothesis as to why my quantum flux differs from the others?"

"I am sorry, Mr. B-4," said HAL. "I do not have enough information to formulate a hypothesis."

Everyone thought that they all hit a dead end as they looked at each other with disappointment, not even a suggestion as what to do next, or even to ask since they don't know the answer to that either. Until Sumner said with trepidation, "I hate to say it, but we may have to ask 'him'."

"No! No, no, no!" said Maddox with mortal terror. "There's got to be another way. There are other quantum theorists in the institute."

"Sorry, Bruce," said Sumner. "But he is the most qualified, and we need him if we are to figure out what's going on with B-4."

"Wait," said Geordi. "Who is he?"

"Dr. Sheldon Raimer," said Sumner. "He's the leading quantum theorist and string theory expert. No one is better than him."

"Yes, but he is a bit of... how shall I put it?" said Maddox trying to find the right words.

"Is the word eccentric you are attempting to derive?" B-4 asked.

"Actually kook is the word we're looking for," Sumner said, "if not a total whack job."

Both B-4 and Geordi looked at each other very intensely wondering if seeing this Dr. Raimer is a good idea. "I do not see that we have much of a choice," said B-4, "if he is the most qualified theorist who can decipher the mystery of my anomaly."

Geordi resigned in the fact that B-4 was right. As well in his years in Starfleet, he has met some interesting species and people, many of them go beyond the simple word of weird. As well as he has taken extraordinary risks before to complete a mission, and wondered how different will this be? "Alright," he said.

Dr. Maddox was about to say something, but all he let out was a sigh that he too had to accept B-4's logic. Even Dr. Sumner agreed, but said, "Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you. HAL, can you contact Dr. Raimer, please?"

"Understood, Dr, Sumner," said HAL. There was a brief pause when HAL said, "I have established contact with Dr. Raimer."

"I hope this is important," said a middle aged Italian man who looked very unsettled with a personality to match. "I'm in the middle of a very important project here."

"Trust me, it is," assured Sumner.

"Yeah, that's what they all say," Raimer replied in a snarky fashion. "I'm in the middle of trying to decipher a new substance the Titan found called decalithium, and I can't because someone keeps interrupting me for this or that."

"Well I'm sorry to hear that," said Sumner.

"And now they are asking me to look at readouts of a star called Hobus that may go nova within the next decade, wondering if it's going to create a white hole and expand faster than light," Raimer continued.

"Well that's very interesting," said Sumner.

"A hell of a lot more interesting than my commute to work this morning," Raimer said. "I had to sit next to a guy who talked about how Klingons have redundant organs, and had to move on to their redundant reproductive organs."

"Not exactly..."

"...something I needed to know," Raimer interrupted. "And why? Just in case they had an accident with their disruptor they can still procreate?"

"I'm not sure..."

"Then what do they do with their spare with a human woman? Stick it up her..." was something that Sumner drowned out as best as he could as he tried to ward off the headache he was developing.

"And who really needs to know how many ridges they have on their..."

"Dr. Raimer," said Sumner most insistently, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but we have some quantum flux reading we want your expertise at. HAL's sending you the information right now."

"Who the hell's HAL?" Raimer asked.

"He's my A.I. who detected the quantum flux readings," said Sumner.

Raimer's computer beeped and he looked at the information HAL sent him. He leaned closer to the monitor he was looking in with his eyes starting to bug out a bit, and then squinted at the screen. "It looks like a blip, but I'm not sure."

"A blip?" Maddox asked in the background.

"Where did you get these readings from?" Maddox asked.

"An in depth scan from HAL on the memory engrams of an android," said Sumner. "But HAL's scanners can only go down to 0.02 angstroms."

"Get that android down here, so I can do some scans of my own," said Raimer who for once seems very mellow, which not only was a pleasant surprise to the foursome, but also for them one step closer to finding out the mystery of B-4. "Why the hell didn't you tell me this before? That's the problem right there. No one tells you a damned thing, and people wonder why I get so frustrated. Give me a couple of minutes to set up the equipment, Raimer out."

Sumner, Maddox and Geordi let out a collective sigh of relief when Raimer signed off, all ready to feel the dread of meeting him face to face. The foursome exited Sumner's lab and headed down the hall into the atrium where a Christmas tree was being decorated by a dark skinned woman who was giving Geordi a very engaging look with a half smile to go with it that the Enterprise engineer saw out of his bionic eyes. He smirked wondering how Leah would react. They reached Dr. Raimer's lab which Maddox and Sumner looked at the door as if it were the chamber of horrors. Enough so that it was Geordi who rang the bell.

"Who is it?" said Raimer through the intercom.

"It's us," Sumner replied.

"Who's us?" asked Raimer.

"Sumner, Maddox, LaForge and B-4," said Sumner.

"Why didn't you say so?" said Raimer with excitement. "Come in."

They entered and went to greet Raimer with hesitation where the crazy doctor approached with anticipation, "Good, you're here. Let's get started," as he grabbed Geordi by the arm and pulled him to his scanners as the confused remainder of the foursome looked on.

"Here it is," said Raimer as he grabbed some tweezers and pulled out a piece of hair on Geordi's moustache that caused him to yep in pain.

"What the hell was that for?" Geordi screamed as he messaged the area of his face where Raimer ripped out the hair.

"I'm trying to get a time line when you got your blip," said Raimer. "Because hair grows outwards at a certain rate and the root may be..."

"Dr. Raimer," Geordi interrupted, "I'm not B-4!"

"Before what?" asked Raimer.

Geordi pointed at the android and said, "HE'S the one we're asking about." Raimer looked towards where Geordi was pointing with B-4 raising his hand with a sheepish grin.

Raimer looked back at Geordi and said, "Oh, sorry. I saw the eyes and thought... never mind." He went over to B-4 and grabbed him by the arm and pulled him towards the scanner saying, "Come on, this way," as B-4 looked back at Drs Sumner and Maddox with Geordi rejoining them.

"You're right, he is a kook," said Geordi trying to say it as quietly as possible.

"I heard that!" shouted Raimer.

Maddox, LaForge and Sumner were forced to listen to Raimer for nearly 40 minutes ranting about how scientists can figure out how to determine the age of the cosmos yet cannot replicate a decent cup of coffee as his equipment was scanning B-4. The trio were relieved when the computer said it had completed its analysis on the android that interrupted Raimer's lecture of the conspicuous nature of the number 47, compelling Raimer to look at the data on the screen. What it displayed was a wave with an abnormal peak at one point that got Raimer's attention.

"That's it, right there!" shouted Raimer pointing at the unusual peak. "See this my dear robot friend?"

"Android," B-4 corrected.

"Whatever," Raimer retorted. "That peak right there, see it? That's the blip!"

"Sir," said B-4, "you had mentioned the term blip on 17 different occasions since we first contacted you. Please define blip."

"Do I have to explain everything?" said Raimer is a less than ideal manner. "How do I say it in Layman's terms? When time passes, it travels in a certain direction. When there is a temporal incursion, time is split and the 2 time lines take different paths."

"Like a fork in the road," Geordi translated.

"Or a knife or a spoon," Raimer sarcastically said. "Will you let me finish? Anyways, at some point your time line path took another direction from Data's, and somehow you were brought to this time line not too far into your 2 time lines split, maybe hours or days at the most. But either way my friend, you are from an alternate reality, proving my theory!" he said with great joy as he planted a good size kiss on the androids lips, and then turned back to his computer.

"Okay, do you know when B-4 entered our time line?" asked Maddox.

"Um, I'm not entirely certain," said Raimer. He turned toward Maddox and said, "I've never encountered anything like this before, so I can't calibrate my formula properly to know for certain. If I were to guess, I would say sometime between 2365 and 2375. But right now, Hobus can consume the whole galaxy. Now if you will excuse me," as he said as he urgently escorted the foursome out of his lab to write a report on his findings, "I have a science to paper to write."

"You're right, he is a kook," Geordi said to his expelled friends, with Dr. Raimer screaming from his lab with the door still opened, "I HEARD THAT!"

"The time frame he gave us didn't help us one damn bit, at least it's not a complete waste of time," said Geordi as they crossed the atrium they went by earlier, only with the Christmas tree having more decorations on it. "At least we're one step close to knowing where you came from B-4."

"I agree," the android replied. "As well it answers the question as to how Data and I could be the exact same android yet there were 2 of us. As to how I came into this time line still remains a myster..."

Geordi turned around when he noticed that B-4 stopped talking abruptly, which isn't like him at all. He saw his android friend walking towards the Christmas tree and gazing at a Christmas ornament that had a hologram of the star of Bethlehem bursting from inside of it. B-4 extended his arm towards it and pulled off the ornament from the tree.

"C-can I help you sir?" asked the woman who was eyeing Geordi on their way in, this time with her full, confused gaze aimed towards B-4. Geordi walked up to him and asked, "B-4, are you alright?"

After a tense moment of ominous silence, B-4 said, "I am not certain."

End part 3


	4. Chapter 4

Gerodi wasn't sure which left him more unsettled. B-4 suddenly picking up that Christmas ornament, or that the tone he used when he said, "I am not certain," sounded exactly like Data. They had returned to Dr. Maddox's lab with B-4 sitting in the diagnostic chair with an optic wire connecting his head to the computer Dr. Maddox was at, holding the same ornament he had picked up. Dr. Sumner had tied HAL into one of Maddox's auxiliary computer stations. Geordi walked over to B-4 and said with his hand on the android's shoulder, "Do you know what happened?"

Still focused on the ornament, B-4 looked intensely at the ornament; he shook his head and said, "I am afraid I do not know." He then looked up into Geordi's bionic eyes and continued, "When I saw this ornament, I became overwhelmed with an unsettling feeling."

"What kind of feeling?" Geordi asked.

B-4 shook his head again, "It is difficult to describe, but the impression I got was an intense sensation of terror, then submission."

Geordi looked at his friend in confusion without knowing what B-4 was talking about, and then Sumner said, "Sounds like death. I read Jake Sisko's 'The Dominion War Chronicles,' and the soldiers who were mortally wounded sounded like that, ready to die."

"It is possible," said B-4. "However this would state that I had my emotion chip during that time for me to have these emotions. And possibly..."

"I don't believe it!" said Dr. Maddox in a higher tone voice. He turned away from the computer and said, "B-4, you know those latent memory files you can't access? Your recognition protocols somehow accessed them."

"Recognition protocols?" asked Sumner. "Like what HAL's got?"

"Negative Dr. Sumner," said HAL. "I systematically run through a list of possibilities until I eliminate all but one item, or a list of items with the most likely probability. Based upon Dr. Maddox's diagnostic scans on B-4, he uses a highly sophisticated program that uses low level familiarity that expands on more complex familiarity."

"And somehow that program was able to access those latent memories you have, B-4," said Maddox.

"Well since you somehow were able to access before," Dr. Sumner said to B-4, "can you do it again?"

"I have made 16 attempts to access those files," said B-4, "but I am currently unsuccessful. I have also attempted to reroute the access command through my recognition protocols, all attempts have failed."

All Geordi could do was put his hand on his android friend's shoulder, but doesn't know what to say to him. Even though he wanted to say, "It's okay, B-4. We got this far. We don't need to get everything today." But he couldn't bring the words out.

"Can we bypass the lockouts?" asked Maddox.

"No we can't," said Geordi. "But maybe... we can clone the algorithms to activate B-4's recognition protocols that accessed those latent memories."

"Is that possible?" asked Maddox again.

"I do not know," said B-4. "No one has ever attempted to perform such a procedure before based upon Data's memories."

"I say it's worth a shot," said Maddox.

"Same," Sumner agreed.

"Okay, then let's get started," said Geordi. That said, Geordi and Maddox moved to the diagnostic computer while Sumner grabbed a non-Starfleet tricorder and began to monitor B-4. Geordi began fiddling with the controls in hopes that he can access those illusive files within his android friend's head. "Mind you, if this works we'll only be able to access that one file."

"It is a start," said B-4. "Besides, I am curious as to what had transpired with me. At what point did my time line and Data's begin to diverge? As well as how such an event was possible and how I came into this reality."

"I am wondering that myself," said Geordi as he may have found what he was looking for. "Okay, I think I've isolated the algorithm. Copying it, and let's see what happens."

When Geordi activated the algorithm, B-4 let out a heavy belly laugh that filled the entire lab. "Curious," said the android. "It would appear that the algorithm activated my jocular subroutines."

"Okay, let's try narrowing the bandwidth," said Geordi as he typed in the commands. This then caused B-4 to stand up from his chair abruptly. "Looks like we hit your reflex controls, B-4."

"So it would appear," said B-4 as he sat back down.

"Okay, let's try adjusting the phase modulation of the algorithm," said Geordi with frustration increasing in the blind man. Both Geordi and Maddox looked at B-4 after the android made a very distinct, gluttonous sound.

"Pardon me," said B-4. "It would appear my posterior thermal exhaust port was activated."

"At least it doesn't smell," said Sumner as he continues to scan B-4, standing right next to him.

Geordi looked back at the computer terminal, trying to think, knowing he is probably out of ideas. He began tinkering with the controls again and said, "Okay, let's give this one last shot."

Unfortunately for Dr. Sumner the command caused B-4's left hand to snap out violently and hit the archaeologist in the groin very hard. The doctor dropped to his knees and keeled over in pain as B-4 leaped out of his chair and attempted to tend to the fallen doctor. B-4 helped Sumner into the chair while he was moaning painfully and cursing quite loudly, not at B-4.

"Ohh," moaned Sumner. "Here the little lady and I were planning to send the kids to her parents so we could have a very naked holiday."

"I truly am sorry," said B-4. "I had not expected that reaction."

All Sumner could do is nod painfully in agreement.

"Maybe we should see if we could look at the other memory files," said Maddox as Sumner raised his hand in total agreement. B-4 helped the injured archaeologist out of his chair and into a vacant one near the interface terminal, and then sat back into the diagnostic chair as Maddox returned to his station along with Geordi after giving Sumner a cooling pack.

"Okay, um..." said Geordi with a puzzled look on his face. "We're going to have to write new algorithms if we have a snowball's chance in hell of accessing those files. And after what happened when we tried copying the algorithms..." Which Sumner responded by raising his hand, which thankfully for him the pain was easing off.

"I am still not able to access those files," said B-4 after 3 frustrating hours with both Geordi and Maddox unsuccessfully trying to help the android retrieve what is trapped in his positronic brain. Geordi slammed the palms of his hands on the computer terminal and walked away.

"Okay," said Maddox. "I'm going to have another look at that algorithm. Maybe we're missing something."

All 4 looked at the main screen where Maddox is looking at the algorithm where Maddox and Geordi seemed to have looked at it over a million times. Geordi wonders which was harder. Trying to figure out this enigma within B-4, or when they were trying to find a way to defeat the Borg nearly 20 years before.

"I'm going to have to interface with the Enterprise's computer," said Geordi with the faint possibility that something might turn up. "HAL?"

"Yes, Commander LaForge," said the A.I.

"I would like you to interface with the Enterprise's computer. Authorization; LaForge, theta 2-9-9-7."

"Understood, Commander LaForge. Initiating the interface." A few seconds went by when Geordi heard the familiar female voice saying, "Authorization granted."

"Computer," continued LaForge, "run an analysis of the following algorithm. See if anything matches."

"Acknowledged," said the Enterprise's computer. "Please stand by."

"Would it help if HAL did the search himself?" asked Sumner.

"Don't count the Enterprise's computer out just yet," Geordi said after a bit of a chuckle.

"Analysis complete," said the starship's computer voice. "There are no direct matches on file. However there is a partial match available on file."

"Finally, some pay dirt," Geordi thought, then said, "Computer, what is the source of this partial match?"

"The partial match is referenced from the diagnostic files of Lieutenant Commander Data," said the computer. "Specifically the diagnostics scans of the interface between Lieutenant Commander Data's emotion chip and positronic brain."

"Data's emotion chip?" Geordi asked in disbelief. "Computer, could the algorithm be an activation code for his emotion chip?"

"There is a 52% probability that the algorithm is an activation code for Lieutenant Commander Data's emotion chip."

"That might explain why we couldn't access the file," said Maddox. "B-4 doesn't have an emotion chip, and couldn't interface with it. We were trying to access them through cold logic, not warm emotion."

"Data's emotion chip uses a base 3 fractal algorithm generator," said B-4.

"Order and chaos," said Geordi. "We could only copy an algorithm if it were pure order. But trying to copy an algorithm with order and chaos would have unpredictable results."

"As my 2 best friends can verify," said Sumner.

"Inquiry," said B-4. "Your 2 best friends?"

"Never mind," Geordi said B-4. "I hate to say it, but I think the only way you can access your files is if you had Data's emotion chip."

"Which is probably floating as ionized atoms in the Bassen rift," said Sumner.

"Actually, no," Geordi retorted. "Admiral Nakamura ordered Data's emotion chip removed a few years ago. It's a long story. But the point is the chip is in Starfleet headquarters."

"Then it would be prudent to retrieve the chip and have it inserted into my positronic net," said B-4.

"B-4, you may have Data's memories, but you can't access his experiences and reactions," said Maddox. "You might not be able to control the emotions any more than Data could."

"That is true," B-4 agreed. "However I do not see any alternative as to understanding where I came from. How I got here. I am sorry, but I must know."

In all the years Geordi has known Data, he knew as soon as his friend's mind is made up, almost nothing can change it, especially when it came to personal matters. He also found Data's stubbornness within B-4. Resigning in the android's logic, he slapped his combadge, "LaForge to Enterprise."

"Enterprise, Picard here," said Geordi's CO's voice over his combadge.

"Captain, I need a really big favour."

The next morning, Geordi returned with another box where he looked like he went to hell and back to get. "It took a while to convince Captain Picard to request Data's emotion chip. And he said it took even longer to convince Admiral Akaar to convince Admiral Nakamura... Well you get the idea. I just hope this works because I don't think I have any strings or favours left."

Geordi opened the box to reveal Data's emotion chip while the others gazed upon it. "B-4, are you sure you want to do this?"

"No," he said. "I need to do this."

Geordi was hoping that B-4 would change his mind, but he once again resigned in the android's request the same way he did for Data. "Alright, let's get started."

B-4 nodded in acknowledgement while the others only gave a concerned gaze. The android sat in his chair while Maddox and Sumner, still limping a little, moved to the computer station while Geordi removed the chip from the box.

"Okay, just to be safe, I'm going to install the ship in your secondary access port in your neck," Geordi said to B-4. "You ready?"

"Yes, I am ready. And Geordi, thank you," B-4 said while watching his friend he only knew from his brother's memories, seeing Geordi giving him a bitter sweet smile. B-4 then looked straight ahead and said, "Repair mode." Everyone heard his systems power down as B-4's eyes closed and mind went blank.

Static filled B-4's mind and went blank. It happened again as he began to recalibrate himself to compensate for the static when he blanked out again. But then he began to see a pleasant Earth style ravine or path in a forest. His diagnostic display confirms that he is in standby mode and that the emotion chip is being installed.

He walked to the edge of the ravine and saw the constructs of his positronic net. If he were human, it reminded him of looking inside of a massive tree kilometres across with massive electric discharges that lit the tree. He also became aware of his latent memory files, but only partial access to them. But he turned back becoming aware of something else.

B-4 walked towards a stream that he was crossing until he stepped on a stone that was loose. Even though he was in a virtual environment, his android reflexes kept him from falling in. When he crossed the stream, he heard whistling and recognized the melody as "Pop Goes the Weasel."

As he approached the source of the whistling, he looked up and saw a humanoid man in the tree wearing a Starfleet uniform that appears to be in the engineering or operations division. The individual was facing away, but B-4 noted that the person had pale skin and dark hair. The stranger reached the "pop goes the weasel" segment of the melody, but his whistling broke up. He made another attempt, yet another break up. He was about to try a third time until he turned towards B-4 and looked down upon him.

B-4 was seeing himself in the Starfleet uniform looking at him confused and intrigued as B-4 is. The android's doppelganger jumped down several metres and walked towards B-4.

"I do not believe I was programmed with an avatar," said the duplicate android.

"Nor was I," said B-4. "May I ask who you are, sir?"

"Certainly. My name is Data."

End Part 4


	5. Chapter 5

"Data," said B-4. "What was the last thing you remember?"

Data took a moment to remember, and not make the same mistake when Captain Picard asked the question when he was on the anthropological mission to the Ba'ku home world. "My last memories were of me downloading my memory engrams into the B-4 android." Data then looked at his double more intensely. "I presume you are the B-4."

"You presume correctly," said B-4.

"Fascinating," Data continued. "May I ask as to how far my memory engrams have integrated into your systems?"

"Unfortunately they have not," said B-4. "But rest assured I do understand your reasons for trying to help me. Thank you."

"You are welcome," Data said with some level of vindication that B-4 understood. "May I ask what has transpired since the download?"

"I am afraid I have some unsettling news," said B-4 after a brief pause. Even though he knew that Data didn't have emotions at this moment, he was still trying to figure out what to say that would lessen the impact on his brother. "You were destroyed saving the Enterprise 6 days after you had found me."

Data turned away to absorb what B-4 had just told him, wondering how the crew felt about his death, and how he was not contributing to their lives. He turned back to B-4 and said, "Then all I am is a ghost of what I was."

The 2 androids walked down the ravine as B-4 told Data what had happened, including the events that lead up to the 2 of them meeting and how they may have been the same android at one point.

"I am thankful that Dr. Sumner's injury was not permanent," said Data.

"As am I," said B-4. He then continued with telling Data the events that lead up to B-4 having Data's emotion chip installed within him.

"Most intriguing," said Data. "I too am curious as to where our timelines had diverged. How far have you gone in your search?"

"I have only begun just before meeting you," replied B-4.

"May I accompany you?"

"Certainly," said B-4. "I would appreciate it."

With that being said, the 2 androids left the virtual ravine and travelled along B-4's neuro-pathways until they reached an art gallery whose architecture was inspired by 15th century castles. The gallery has many levels and balconies of 2 metre high portraits in motion that carried both Data's memories and B-4's. 9 memory engram portraits then moved towards the 2 androids that B-4 recognized as his inert memory engrams. All but one was filled with static while the remaining one had what use to be known as a test pattern on it to which B-4 knew it was an engram that was accessible. However B-4 noticed there was something amiss.

"Curious," said B-4. "This is not the memory engram that my recognition protocols had activated." He then pointed to the inert engram on the far left and stating that was the memory engram that was activated. B-4 and Data moved towards that memory engram but could not activate it.

Leaving no choice, the 2 androids returned to the first memory engram that they did have access to. But when B-4 moved towards it, it went blank. He moved away in confusion then the engram returned to the test pattern display. Both androids were puzzled. B-4 tried moving towards it again and it went blank again. Data then moved towards B-4 then the engram came alive again. Both androids looked at each other wondering if Data was the one who could activate it.

When B-4 moved away and Data moved towards the engram, it went blank. B-4 moved towards Data and the engram came alive yet again. They then agreed that perhaps they should try activating the engram together. They moved towards it together and it stayed alive. They then placed their hands on the portrait and opened the file.

Wearing a standard maroon Cadet uniform that has been in service for over 50 years, B-4 enters a room that typically belonged to cadets at Starfleet academy. One side of the room was sparse, virtually bare aside from the standard bed, desk and computer terminal, the other side of the room was cluttered with many different items ranging from books and trophies, to cloths on the floor, and a scantily Orion woman on the other cadet's desk.

When he pushes the door open enough, a bucket full of water came down upon him with the bucket covering his head. He casually removed the bucket and looked at it wondering the purpose of using a precious resource in such a manner. Over on his roommate's terminal, a recorded message began playing.

"HA HA! Got you again, Data!" taunted B-4's roommate, Jim Pevelson who had many times had pulled pranks on B-4 hoping to aggravate him. Cadet Pevelson knew that even Vulcans can be provoked if pushed hard enough, especially if you hit the right buttons or if you push hard enough. However B-4 seemed like a real, if not a futile challenge to him since B-4 doesn't have emotions, and thereby being unable to be provoked into an emotional response to either scream bloody hell or cry.

B-4 then recalled what Pevelson had said to him, "Look, Data. One day, I 'will' get you angry."

"Since I do not have emotions, that seem extremely unlikely,"B-4 replied.

"Bullshit, I will get you. I get everyone"

"You have not been able to provoke Cadet T'Lal," retorted B-4.

"She's Vulcan," said Pevelson. "Give me time."

After that, both Data and B-4 returned to the archives with B-4 still wearing his Starfleet Cadet uniform. Neither one questioned why Data wasn't there with B-4 as well as why Pevelson called B-4 Data.

"B-4," said Data, "I have confirmed that you did not access my memory engram of this particular event."

"Then the memory is genuine and fully accessible," said B-4. "Data, I am beginning to receive... perceptions you might say from that engram, where I am able to partially recall events from before the memory was recorded."

"Fascinating," said Data. "How much were able to recall from these impressions?"

"Not much," B-4 answered. "But I am curious as to why this memory file was active yet the one I was searching for was not?"

"I do not..." Data began only to stop when he saw the memory engram to the left of the first that has become active with static to which he and B-4 moved towards. "Curious," said Data. He looked at B-4 who was staring at the engram intensely. "B-4?"

"Data," B-4 replied. "I am receiving an impression from this engram."

"What kind of impression?" Data asked.

"The impression I am receiving is a sense of betrayal, loyalty and trust," said B-4. "Curious, I did not receive an impression from the first memory engram. I wonder why I am beginning to with this one."

"I cannot say," said Data. "Is there a time stamp on this engram?"

"I cannot access it," said B-4. "But I have a feeling, you might say, it did not occur too far beyond the first engram. But either way, it would be for the best that we activate it."

"Agreed," said Data. As before the memory engram was activated when both B-4 and Data accessed it together.

"Are you certain, Cadet?" an elder Vulcan admiral was asking B-4 wearing a second year cadet uniform. He was standing in front of the desk of the academy's commandant, Admiral Saavik. She kept her office sparse except for a picture of a young man who shared Vulcan, human and Romulan characteristics, and looks almost like a spitting image of Ambassador Spock. "That Lt. Kawalski was involved with hacking into the Academy's tests?"

"I cannot be 100% certain, sir," B-4 replied. "However I hypothesized that since the tests that were stolen were of Library Computer Access and Retrieval Systems operations, I believe that the intent was that the perpetrator intended to use them for that particular test. However since hackers require extensive knowledge and understanding of computer system, I do not believe that the person requiring the answers has the ability to access those files. So I theorized that there was a second perpetrator with a level 4 or above access.

"I also recall that Cadet Kawalski is having difficulty with his computer operation studies, and I looked into the academy records that I have access to and found a correlation. There is a Lt. Patrick Kawalski who works in the academy's administration, and he has level 4 access to the academy's central computer."

Admiral Saavik pondered what B-4 had said to her. "Actually, Cadet Data, we were already keeping Lt. Kawalki under surveillance. We had suspicions for a while that he was trying to help his nephew by stealing exams. But I'm impressed by how with your limited resources that you were able to draw similar conclusions."

"Thank you, sir," said B-4.

"Thank you, Cadet Data," said Saavik. "That will be all."

"Aye, sir," replied B-4. He turned away then stopped and turned back to Saavik. "Admiral, may I ask you a question, sir?"

"Only if you quit calling me 'sir' all the time," said Saavik.

"Yes, sir," said B-4.

Saavik took a second to shake off the annoyance then looked at B-4. "What's your question?"

"Sir," replied B-4 despite Saavik's annoyance with the title 'sir.' "I have heard from my classmates that they spent much of their lives wanting to be enrolled in Starfleet. Many have used the term 'a lifelong dream.'"

"Yes?" Saavik said to confirm with B-4 that she understood.

"When we entered the academy, we gave an oath to Starfleet which is dedicated to the truth," said B-4. "If that is so, why would anyone wish to gain credentials through unethical means?"

"You mean cheat," Saavik said. She pondered for a moment in an attempt to answer B-4's question, to which her Romulan half managed to peek a small smirk that B-4 had noticed and was trying to emulate. Saavik noticed and returned much of her composure. "Cadet, when is your next class?"

"37 minutes, 19 seconds, sir," said B-4 with digital precision.

Saavik then reached over to her intercom and said, "Mk-Laakk?"

"Yes, Admiral?" said a female Rigelian voice over the intercom.

"Have Cadet Data excused from his next class and hold any non-essential messages for about an hour," said Saavik.

"Yes, Admiral," Mk-Laakk replied.

"Cadet, please sit down," said Saavik. B-4 replied with his usual "Yes, sir," which did not annoy the admiral this time. "I'm not sure if you will understand, but I hope one day you will. I'm going to tell you the story of a former Starfleet cadet by the name of James T. Kirk."

B-4 and Data then exited the memory file with B-4 still wearing his uniform. But B-4 is still looking at his restored memory file intensely. "Strange," said B-4. "I am receiving an impression that Admiral Saavik was correct that at the time I could not understand what she was saying and why she said it, but now for some reason I am able to, even only in part."

"And yet the file does not include the memory of what she said of Captain Kirk," Data interjected.

"That is correct, however never the less I am remembering an impression of never believing in the no-win scenario," B-4 said. "Could I have accidentally perceived your memory of this event?"

"Accessing," said Data. "Negative. My diagnostics have revealed that you have not accessed any of my engrams. Are you still able to access my files?"

"Negative," said B-4. "I am not able to access them. Yet I am still able to experience them as if they were my own. I cannot..."

At that instant an electrical discharge ignited between the 2 androids then dissipated as mysteriously as it appeared. Both androids looked at each other with confusion.

"Perhaps you should reactivate," suggested Data.

"Data, if I were to reactivate, you will be deactivated," B-4 said.

"I have been deactivated for 4 years, 26 days," Data corrected. "A few hours will not hurt."

B-4 nodded at Data's logic and proceeded with reactivation. Then he tried again when he didn't awaken, and again, and again, and again.

"Data, my activation routines seem to be caught in a feedback loop," said a very concerned B-4. "I cannot reactivate."

End part 5


	6. Chapter 6

*Note to readers, this is my first story and still working how fan fiction still works*

"Do you know the source of the error?" Data asked B-4.

"I cannot localize the error," said B-4. "However it appears that my latent memory files may be the cause. Perhaps they are also a catalyst, I cannot be certain. What I am certain is that both my diagnostic systems and my self-correcting mechanism cannot correct the error, nor bypass it.

"I have made 31 attempts to reactivate, but I have been unsuccessful. At this moment I am uncertain as to what to do."

"If I were to make a suggestion," Data said. "Since we must remain in this virtual environment, then perhaps we should examine your other memory engrams."

"I agree," said B-4. They moved to the next memory which became static and activated it.

B-4 walked into a bar where his other academy classmate had gathered for graduation the day before graduating Starfleet academy. Though he does not understand why the consumption of alcohol signifies an important symbol of graduating from the Academy. However he decided to take this opportunity to study his classmates and their ritual for the next step in their lives.

He walked by Cadet Shimabukuro who had watched a hologram of a scantily clad woman with long blond hair finishing her song with the lyrics "Same DNA, but born this way."

B-4 did not realize that the dancer and singer was actually a human wearing prosthetics on her face, making him wonder what species the woman is. Shimabukuro turned away from the hologram, spotted B-4 and said, "Nothing like the classics. Eh, Data?"

"Since I am unfamiliar with this form of musical genre, I cannot verify the uniqueness of this song," said B-4.

"You're one of a kind, Data," said Shimabukuro with a chuckle.

"That may be correct since to this date there has been no evidence of another android as myself," B-4 replied. He then heard someone call the name "Data," to which B-4 responded and saw his classmates who had called him. He walked towards to 3 classmates, Akima Korogawi, Josh Lambert and Izuzu.

"So, Data," Josh said to him. "What's this rumour of us being known as the class of '78?"

"I do not know," said B-4. "I have not heard anything substantial outside of rumour or conflicting reports."

"I think it's just a hoax someone put on the announcement board," said Izuzu.

"I didn't think you Denobulans were so sceptical," said Akima. "I thought you always looked at possibilities."

"And isn't a hoax a possibility?" Izuzu said with a laugh as he drank his tea.

"So, Data, you want a beer?" Akima asked her android friend trying to get away from Izuzu's humorous logic.

"Though I am capable of consuming alcoholic beverages," said B-4, "I do not see a reason to do so."

"Well," Josh began as he drank his beer. "I take it you are not excited about graduating tomorrow, eh Data?"

"You are correct that I am not excited," B-4 replied. "However, I do have some anticipation of the graduation ceremony tomorrow. However I do not understand the reasoning of becoming intoxicated prior to the ceremony which requires us to respond in a disciplined manner."

"That's why they invented the anti-hangover meds," said Akima.

"I believe the correct term is inoprovaline," B-4 said correcting Akima.

"Whatever," Josh said. "Anyways, Data, why were you not made class valedictorian? Nothing against T'Lal of course."

"Although I did receive honours in exobiology and probability mechanics," said B-4, "I did have difficulty with social gatherings as well as social relations."

"I don't know," said Izuzu. "I heard it may have something to do with you being an android and that gave you an unfair advantage."

"Then that would be the first decency Starfleet had since forgetting Mary Shelley's warnings by letting that machine in the Academy," said a voice the foursome turned towards the bar to see a bald, stern looking Starfleet officer hutched over who then turned towards the cadets. "Space is the destiny of man, not a robot like you."

"I am an android, sir," said B-4. "Not a robot."

"What's the difference?" asked the man.

B-4 replied by saying, "Webster's Twenty-fourth Century Dictionary, Fifth Edition, defines an android as an automaton made to..."

"I rest my case," interrupted the man as he turned back to the bar.

Neither one of B-4's friends were amused by the man's crude remarks. "Pardon me, sir," said B-4. "But it is inappropriate for you to draw a final conclusion without allowing me to deliver my testimony."

The man stood up while barely containing his rage when B-4 shot back at him. "Come on, you walk like a robot. TALK like a robot!"

"On the contrary, sir," B-4 continued, "since I was designed to emulate human locomotion and speech patterns, does that not counter your statement?"

"Listen to me, robot," said the man who waltz up to B-4 hoping to intimidate him. "You'd be doing the Federation a favour if you left Starfleet."

"I am sorry, sir," said B-4. "But I do not see how..."

"Data, let it go," said Akima. "The guy's a douche bag."

The man left after giving B-4 a hateful look as the others watch him leave with utter contempt.

"Inquiry," said B-4 turning to Akima. "Douche bag?"

Data and B-4 exited the memory file. "Unfortunately this is where I had learned that prejudice is very human," said Data. "However I was thankful that I only encountered a small percentage of the people I had met had that problem. In fact, they were mostly experiencing fascination as to whom and what I was."

"Hm," B-4 said with that thought from Data. "Yet I still have an impression of a significant number of people who had feared me because I was so different."

"Thankfully I had encountered those who once feared me because I was an android welcoming me as a friend," said Data. "There was this boy by the name Artim on the Ba'Ku home world whose society rejected technology, and that the Federation tried to illegally relocate on stardate 52895.9."

B-4 then nodded to Data and looked at the next memory engram. "B-4," Data continued. "You were able to detect an impression from the previous engram. Are you able to detect an impression with this one?"

"Curious," said B-4. "I am detecting what I believe is excitement and anticipation, but not from me. Perhaps from the people who are around me?" Data returned an "I do not know," expression to B-4 when B-4 had looked at him wondering. Both androids then accessed the memory file.

"I think I'm going to throw up," said a very green first year ensign seated in a shuttlecraft's passenger compartment. One ensign behind him tried his hardest not to chuckle while another behind him only shook her head in annoyance over the first cadet's queasiness. An ensign beside the sick one was very apprehensive wondering if she's going to see the stomach contents of her companion.

"Why did Rick join Starfleet again?" Ensign Josh Lambert asked his companions Akima Korogawi, Izuzu and B-4, all first year Ensigns.

"Come on, Josh," said Akima. "It's not his fault. I still remember you having to be carried out when you first took flight in a shuttlecraft."

"FIRST flight," Josh emphasized. "But I tell you, I wish I was in T'Lal's shoes right now."

"I do not see how that is feasible, orthopedically," said B-4, "give the differences in both the size and structure of your feet and T'Lal's."

"No, no, Data," Josh said to his android friend. "I mean I wish I was assigned to the Enterprise the way T'lal was. I'd love to be on those Ambassador class starships."

"Give it time, Josh," Izuzu said as he was seated right next to B-4's right. "If you show you can do the job with respect, and respect is returned, then you can fly one of those enormous ships some day."

"I know," Josh said. "But I'd rather be on one of those enormous ships rather than one of those dinky little Merced class starships. Do you know how small those ships really are?"

"Based upon what I have read about the Merced class starship," said B-4, "it is frigate with a length of 267 metres, with a mass of..."

"The word, Data," Josh interrupting, "is 'frigate', meaning small."

"In actuality," B-4 correcting, "the term 'frigate' originated in the Mediterranean in the late 15th century, referring to a lighter galleass type ship with oars, sails and a light armament, built for speed and manoeuvrability."

"But it's still not a heavy cruiser, Data," Josh said with such force.

"Hey guys," Akima said getting everyone's attention. "I think that's our ship!"

They all peered out of the shuttle's starboard viewport. They all recognized the Excelsior saucer section with a single warp nacelle below and an Enterprise engineering section over top of the saucer section. The engineering section also had photon launchers on either side of the engineering hull and a combination of a sensor array and solar array coming from the sides of the launcher. The saucer section bore the name and "U.S.S. Trieste, NCC-37124" stamped on its hull. Everyone excluding B-4, yet including Josh, were mesmerized by the sight of the ship, seeing this is where their future begins.

"Whoa," said Josh. "Not so dinky afterall."

The shuttle passes over the starboard side of the saucer section and passes the engineering section under the starboard array. The shuttle cut its thrust and ascended to the same level as the ship's shuttlebay. It then turned 180 degrees and adjusted its course to cut its momentum and reengaged its engines to fly into the shuttlebay. The shuttle shuttered when it passed through the atmospheric force field and hit the atmospheric pressure contained in the shuttle bay, enough to cause Ensign 'Rick' to reach for a nausea bag and empty the contents of his stomach into it.

B-4 and his friends departed the shuttle as soon as it was secured in the landing bay where they met up with a very stocky officer with a square face.

"Listen up, kids," said the officer with a very rugged voice. "I'm Lieutenant Commander Baker, chief security officer of the Trieste. I want you to store your gear and report to the bridge in 10 minutes. What did I just say?" he then asked when no one moved for the first few seconds.

"You had said, sir," with B-4 speaking up, "I want you to store your gear and report to the bridge in 10 minutes," he continued with Lt. Commander Baker's rugged voice.

"Are you mocking me, Ensign?" said Baker directly at B-4 with his tone suggesting that the android had offended him.

"No, sir," B-4 replied again. "You ordered us to repeat the order you had just given us."

B-4 did not realize that the other Ensigns were now apprehensive after what B-4 had said, while at the same time trying not to laugh.

"Get to your posts!" yelled Baker causing everyone, including B-4 to abruptly leave the flight deck and follow the security chief's order. Baker looked towards B-4 and gave a loud, yet heartful laugh over his conversation with the android.

End Part 6


	7. Chapter 7

Upon entering the next memory file, B-4 is walking down the corridor of the USS Lancaster wearing the uniform of a junior grade lieutenant working on a PADD heading to his quarters for a full scale diagnostic on his systems and his routine recharging cycle. He entered his quarters only to find his friend, Lt. Akima Korogawi, and an unknown male frolicking in his unused bed that's reserved for a spare living area for evacuees the Lancaster may rescue.

As the couple rolled over, she spotted B-4 and screamed, "Data!" She and her lover frantically scrambled to cover themselves up. Akima pulled up the blanket in a hurry which fell when her lover pulled the other end exposing her again. She then managed to cover herself up with more success this time and yelled, "Data! What the hell are you doing in here!"

"These are my quarters," B-4 replied.

"Y-your quarters?" asked the man as Akima looked around seeing that B-4 was correct and these are not Akima's quarters. Unfortunately she was so focused on the cabin she was in she hadn't realized her blanket had dropped, and then frantically pulled it over her chest again.

"Yes, this is cabin 5-43-7," B-4 said to the man. The then turned to Akima and said, "Your quarters are 5-43-8 which is adjacent to mine." Akima then realized that when she and her lover were becoming intimate, she entered the wrong cabin by one door, but she wasn't sure how she had made such a mistake.

Nervously the man said, "In that case, mind if I use your shower?"

"Please, go ahead," B-4 replied. "I have towels on the second shelf to the right."

The man thanked B-4 while Akima asked him, "Data, could you pass me my cloths, please?"

B-4 complied as he spotted both undergarments and the uniform that is proportionate to Akima's figure and handed them to her. She grabbed her uniform and said, "Data, could you turn around please? I don't want you to see me naked."

"I have just seen you naked," B-4 said.

"I don't care. Turn around!" Akima insisted. B-4 complied as he heard her cursing and swearing for the next 42 seconds. "Okay, it's safe."

B-4 then turned around and saw that Akima had put her bra and underpants on and readying to put her duty trousers on while her gold duty undershirt and burgundy wraparound tunic still lie on B-4's bed. As she had put her trousers on, she saw B-4 looking at her, but even though she knew there was nothing behind his stare, she outright said to him, "Look, I don't know what you're thinking or what you heard, but I don't particularly enjoy this."

"Enjoy what?" B-4 asked.

"Having sex with any stranger I come across," Akima said a bit harshly as she picked up her gold undershirt. "If anything, I'd rather not do it."

"I do not understand," said the confused android. "If you do not enjoy being promiscuous, then why do you do commit yourself to that lifestyle?"

Akima stopped with her shirt in her hand and lowered her arms as she stared off to nowhere, seeking an answer not only for her android friend, but herself as well. She looked at B-4 not knowing the answer for either of them with the shower going in the background. "Because..." she said trying to contain her emotions, but not really knowing the answer. "It's the only way I can still be human," she said almost crying.

"I do not understand," said B-4. "How does a promiscuous relationship retain your genetic code?"

Akima sat down on B-4's bed with incredible shame on her face. She then patted her hand on B-4's bed which told him to sit down next to her. "His name was Hiro. Uh... Kimura Hiro. I met him when I joined the MACO's. I thought he was incredible.

"Naturally we started seeing each other, and things got really serious. I was so much in love, I..." she continued while the smile she had began to fade. "I don't know when it happened, but he stopped being the man I fell in love with.

I thought he was just being demanding, but..." she was forced to stop due to more tears and a stuffed up nose. "The shouting started, the accusations, the..." she stopped as she began to cradle her face and jerked her head with what looked like spasms of pain which only made her cry some more. "He even called me... that word."

"What word?" B-4 asked.

"THAT word, begins with 'C'," Akima said as she was pointing in between her legs as she turned away with more tears coming down her cheeks.

B-4 pondered. He was able to understand that the word was offensive, but then asked, "I do not understand. Why is clitoris deemed a highly offensive word?"

It took everything for Akima to scoff over the tears and the pain. Then she said, "Not that word, Data. But I came home one day; I went to our bedroom and... Damn. She was on our bed, with her mouth around... All he did was look at me. His eyes said he didn't care, I was nothing. I... I left the MACO's and joined Starfleet. I didn't want anything to do with that bastard again."

At that moment, all of the emotions in Akima exploded like a volcano. Her duty undershirt dropped from her hands and onto the floor and she collapsed into B-4's lap balling her eyes out and her latest lover hovered over her and B-4 after he got out of the shower.

"It hurts, Data!" Akima cried. "It hurts too mu-u-u-u-ch!"

"Would you like me to call sickbay?" B-4 asked.

B-4 and Data exited the memory file as B-4 is trying to absorb what he experienced. "Strange," he said. "When I was in the memory file, I did not feel anything by Akima's abusive boyfriend story. However, I now feel disturbed by it."

"It is conceivable that my emotion chip may be allowing you to experience emotions from your memories," Data said. "I too did the same thing when I was aboard the Farragut when it and 2 other ships rescued the survivors of the Enterprise-D. Including my experience with Tasha Yar when she and I were..."

Data stopped when he saw an expression on B-4 that he did not recognize. "Is there something wrong?"

"I do not know," B-4 replied. "I am experiencing the same emotion that I had experienced when I saw that Christmas ornament, the sense of an intense sensation of fear and submission. It began when I became aware of the next memory file."

Data then looked at the memory file B-4 was aware of and he too turned to the file. We walked up to his brother and asked, "Do you wish to proceed?"

"Yes I do," said B-4 without taking his eyes off of the memory. He then turned to Data and said, "However I have found that the emotions are becoming more intense to the point I am uncertain I am able to control them."

"I too had the same problem," said Data in a sympathetic voice. "I had 261 distinct emotional states before I had learned to control my emotions."

After contemplating what Data had said, B-4 looked back at the memory file with hesitation, then looked back at Data and said, "Perhaps we should no longer delay reviewing the memory file as doing so in theory should eliminate the anxiety I am feeling."

"Or as Geordi said, let us get it over with," Data replied as he nodded to B-4 and the 2 androids entered the memory file.

A disruptor blast exploded only a few metres away from B-4 as he had taken cover behind a rock along with his landing party. Akima was firing her phaser rifle up the embankment at her Nausican attackers while B-4 was trying to locate the attackers with his tricorder.

"That stupid, arrogant son of a... He led us into a trap!" Akima screamed.

"I had tried to caution him," said B-4 over the disruptor blast. "The kemosite deposits could not have developed naturally given the terrain as well as the quantity of the..."

"Data, would you please shut it?" yelled Akima to which B-4 complied by shutting his tricorder, an action that made Akima rolled her eyes back. She took aim and fired her phaser rifle in hopes of hitting her targets. B-4 did the same with his hand phaser. Akima then had to drop onto her back to avoid a disruptor bolt that nicked the arm of a young ensign's arm.

"We need to get out of here!" Akima yelled. "Lieutenant? Ricks!" Akima yelled at the away team's commander, Lieutenant Parker Ricks, when she saw he was wasn't moving, not even firing his phaser at the enemy. His breathing was badly shuttered and hypnotized by the Nausicans. "Damn, he's lost it!" Akima said under her breath. She continued to fire her phaser and then said, "We need a distraction and hopefully we can get back down the ravine and reach the transporter coordinates! PARKER!"

"Um, uh, yes. Yes, a distraction," Ricks finally said. He then ducked when a disrupton blast hit the tree he was hiding behind. "But... but how. How? How am I going to get out of this?"

"SHIT! I hope someone's got an idea!" Akima yelled while being disturbed by her commanding officer saying "How am 'I' going to get out of this."

B-4 paused for a moment then reopened his tricorder. The then tapped his communicator badge and said, "Data to Lancaster. Data to Lancaster come in please."

"This really isn't a good time, Lieutenant!" said a voice over his communicator whom he recognized as his captain. "We're under attack by 3 Nausican ships. They're no match for us, but there isn't a hell of a lot we can do for you at the moment! We can't beam you up because of the kemosite deposits even if they let us drop shield long enough... Attack pattern Baker-4!"

"Ma'am," said another voice over the communicator. "The second ship has lost forward deflectors!"

"Concentrate fire on that, ship!" said the Captain. "I'm sorry, Data, we can't help you right now."

"I understand," said B-4. "Can you lock onto my position and fire a dummy torpedo 907 metres; 19 degrees, 42 minutes north northeast of my current position?"

"That we can do!" shouted the Captain. "Stand by!"

A moment passed as another member of the away team is shot in the leg as he falls down, screaming in pain. "Torpedo away!" said the captain.

Within seconds, a sonic boom filled the sky as a massive shockwave hits the precipice above the away team as the Nausicans screamed and are blown by the torpedo's impact on the ground. B-4 theorized that though the shockwave would have knocked the Nausicans off of their feet, the blast however would not have been enough to hurt them seriously.

"Way to go, Data!" said another member of the away as the others cheered. But that cheer was interrupted by Lieutenant Ricks coming back to his senses and screaming at B-4, "Data, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Never mind!" screamed Akima. "Let's get the hell out of here!"

The away team scrambled the wounded off of the ground and ran out of the ravine as the Nausicans had totally lost control of the situation and were no longer capable of pinning down the away team.

They managed to reach the beam down coordinates with B-4 carrying one of the wounded while Akima was taking up the rear providing cover fire for the away team. They heard a voice over one of the com-badges saying, "30 seconds to transports, stand by." The surviving away team had split into 2 groups, one of 5, the other of 3. B-4 gave the wounded MACO to team one, but as he was about to join team 2, Lieutenant Ricks stopped him in his tracks.

"Listen to me, Data," Ricks screamed with anger. "I'm in charge of this away team, NOT YOU! You hear me you damned robot! I'M IN CHARGE!"

Just then they heard an explosion that caused them to turn towards the blast and saw Akima flying into the air from the dust cloud, flipping over and landing hard. Instinctively B-4 ran towards Akima with many of the away team members shouting, "Data get your ass back here!"

As he reached Akima, she was convulsing badly while coughing up blood. B-4 picked her up effortlessly and ran back to the beam down coordinates just in time.

"Before," is what Akima said to her android rescuer before becoming totally limp. A second later a voice over the com-badge said, "Energizing!"

B-4 then felt the annular confinement beam swirling around him as the Nausicans fired their disruptors into the away team that were no longer there. They then materialized on the transporter pad where medical teams were ready to treat the wounded, B-4 set Akima down on a gurney and turned to a man screaming behind him who was shot in the arm. But as he turned back, a Denobulan doctor was running his tricorder over Akima, and then he then closed the tricorder and muttered a Denobulan curse. Right there, B-4 knew that his friend, Akima, was dead.

"Security!" screamed Lieutenant Ricks forcing B-4 and the rest of the away team to turn towards their commanding officer. "Take Mr. Data into custody!"

End part 7


	8. Chapter 8

B-4 was very disconcerted when he and Data exited the memory file. "Curious," B-4 said. "When I was in the memory file, I did not react to Akima's death. And yet, I am now very disturbed by it. It could have been the emotion chip; however I believe there is something more."

"It may be of interest," said Data, "that I too had a similar reaction to when Tasha died."

B-4 looked at Data profoundly. "I cannot explain, but for some reason I remember Tasha. Yes, the more I think about it I believe I reacted to Tasha's death more than Akima's."

"Even to this day, I cannot explain why," said Data. "I could only theorize that my positronic brain..."

"Which could also have been mine from what Dr. Raimer had said," said B-4 and Data nodded in agreement.

"Had developed," Data continued without any offence or distraction from B-4 unintended interruption, "to the point where I could react to the death of a colleague, however it may be also that she and I had a sexual relation that allowed by brain to develop to that level. But after I had received my emotion chip and was rescued by the Farragutt when the Enterprise-D had crashed, I began to think about my life without emotions and thought about Tasha's death. "

"How did you react?" B-4 asked.

"I spent a part of the night crying en route to Starbase 44," Data said. "It also took me 49 hours, 53 minutes to finally convince myself that everything that had happened with the Amagosa solar observatory, Geordi being captured and the events of Veridian 3 was in reality not my fault. That all the events that had taken place was instigated by Dr. Tolian Soran."

"And that even without the emotion chip," B-4 continued, "you believed that Dr. Soran would have found another way to destroy the Amagosa star either way?"

"That is correct," said Data.

B-4 nodded and turned to the next memory file then both he and Data walked towards it. Data asked, "Do you know what impressions you are receiving from this file?"

"A sense of lasting trust," said B-4. "However because I am receiving that sense of trust, I believe that my life at this point is beginning to turn for the better."

"In that case," said Data, "shall we?"

B-4 nodded as he and Data activated the memory file.

"Come," said an authoritative voice behind the door that B-4 had rung the bell to. The door opened and he entered. He saw a bald man with the rank pins of Captain for whom he identified as Jean Luc Picard, the Captain of the newly commissioned Galaxy class, USS Enterprise. "Lieutenant Commander Data reporting to the Captain, sir."

"Ah, yes. Commander Data. Please sit down" said Captain Picard and B-4 walked to the open chair and sat. Picard activated his terminal and looked at B-4's service record. "Honours in exobiology and probability mechanics, and decorated by Starfleet Command for gallantry.

"Impressive," Picard continued. "You've received the Medal of Honour with clusters, the Legion of Honour and the Star Cross. But there is something here about you being put into custody about a year ago. Would you care to elaborate?"

"Certainly, sir," B-4 replied. "On stardate 40111.9, we received a distress signal from Taurus 2 that was badly garbled. The only recognizable words and terms were warp core overload, escape pods and survivors. Upon arriving, I was a part of a 12 person search and rescue party that was divided into 2 groups. We had tracked the distress signal into a ravine that had unnatural kemosite deposits. I had tried to convey this to the away team commander, Lieutenant Parker Ricks, however he chose to disregard that information.

"As it turned out, it was a trap set by Nausican pirates. It was theorized that they wanted to steal the pharmaceuticals in Dr. Kathy Simmons' medical kit and use them on the black market."

"Dr. Simmons," said Picard as he looked at his terminal. "She was killed on that mission."

"That is correct, sir," B-4 said, "along with Akima Korogawi. There were 3 members who were wounded in the attack including..."

"It's okay; I have the casualty list here. It also says here," Picard continued as he read off of his terminal, "that you used some unorthodox strategy to save the away team."

"That is correct, sir," B-4 said. "I used a tactic that was used originally by Lt. Malcolm Reed during the Romulan wars in the 22nd century, only modified to eliminate the number of fatalities as much as possible."

"And it says you succeeded, commendable. But it says here," Picard continued reading, "that you had no authorization to implement your actions."

"That would be Lt. Ricks' account, sir," B-4 replied.

"Care to explain?" Picard asked.

"He claimed that I had violated the chain of command when I contacted the Lancaster, sir," said B-4. "However I had observed that Lt. Ricks had become indecisive and motionless to where he had not even fired his phaser at the Nausicans."

"You mean he froze," Picard said.

"I do not believe his temperature had dropped below the freezing point," said a confused android.

"No, no," said Picard holding back a small laugh. "I mean he ceased performing in his duty."

"Ah," said B-4, "as in to cease motion. Yes, I understand how the term 'froze' is applicable."

"Anyways, Mr. Data," Picard said. "Please continue."

"Yes, sir. In my judgement," B-4 replied without missing a beat, "Lt. Ricks became emotionally compromised to which Starfleet regulation 619 came into effect. Any commanding officer who is believed to be emotionally compromised must resign command."

"To which gave you the legal authority to make a command decision," Picard implied.

"Correct, sir," said B-4. "Captain Patricia Carney also believed that Lt. Ricks had exceeded his authority when he had me taken into custody for allegedly violating the chain of command. And so the charges were immediately dropped."

"Thank you, Mr. Data," said Picard. "It was nothing personal; I wanted to hear the account from your point of view. And it seems to match the official record. But can I ask you a personal question?"

"Certainly, sir," B-4 replied.

"Why Starfleet?" Picard asked.

"Sir?" B-4 said by returning a question with a question.

"Why did you choose Starfleet as a career?" Picard elaborated.

"It was Starfleet officers who had rescued me from Omicron Theta," B-4 answered.

Picard looked at him a little more sternly. "So was it a simple case of you returning the favour for them rescuing you?"

"No, sir, when the crew of the Trieste had rescued me," B-4 continued, "I had noticed that even though the majority of the crew were human, they seemed very individually diverse which I had found fascinating. As my neural net was in the early stages of forming, I believed that by joining Starfleet I could understand humans better."

"Hm, interesting," Picard said.

"And during my time on the Trieste and the academy," B-4 continued, "I had found myself wanting to become more human to understand them better."

"Hm," Picard said. "You know, when I was on the Stargazer, my CO at the time, Captain S'Toval, had once stated that someone told him early in his career that if he were human, he would understand us humans better."

"I believe had such a conversation before," said B-4. "However during my time, I found that may not be so since many humans still have difficult time understanding each other."

"Indeed they do," Picard said with a smile. "So why did you choose to apply for the Enterprise's operation's officer?"

"With a standard crew compliment of a Galaxy class starship being listed as 1012," B-4 said, "And with the Enterprise assigned to the edge of explored space, I believe I could observe humans better especially with the interactions between different species."

"It sounds like you might be Starfleet's poster boy," Picard said.

"Inquiry," said B-4. "Poster boy?"

"I was making a small joke," Picard said. He then stood up and said to B-4, "Well all I can say, Mr. Data is welcome aboard the Enterprise." He extended his hand to where B-4 stood up and shook it.

"Although there have been times where it was bent," said Data after he and B-4 left the memory file, "the sense of trust has been unbroken."

"Hm. I wished I had that sense of trust throughout my life as I recall," said B-4.

"So did I," Data agreed. The androids then looked at the next file. "What impressions are you receiving from this one?"

"I am uncertain," said B-4. "However I have the sense of love, yet a sense of regret. But not so much regret, but responsibility. Perhaps we should examine it because I also have a sense of something jocular."

The androids then access the file.

"So this is your new cat," said Geordi as he walked into B-4's quarters after a long shift of making further repairs to the Enterprise after the Borg incident while in Earth orbit. When he saw B-4's cat, his VISOR noticed something was off. "Data, I thought you were getting a male cat?"

"You are correct, Geordi" said B-4. "I had requested a male Somali however there seemed to be a clerical error and he was no longer available. But a female tabby was available so I chose her."

"Clerical error?" said Geordi. "Funny, even in the 24th century we still have clerical errors. Which century was it that was supposed to have ended paper work with computers?"

"The 21st century," B-4 answered. "However I had a conversation by a man calling himself Braxton who cryptically said our future could depend on this cat."

"So what are you going to call her?" Geordi asked.

"I believe I will call her Spot," said B-4.

"Why Spot?"

"Spot is a common name for a cat," B-4 answered, "and there are no other cats aboard the Enterprise that has the name Spot."

"Oh I see," said Geordi. "Are you going to be teaching her tricks or anything?"

"Actually, Geordi," said B-4, "I have read that many cat owners believe that they did not adopt their cats, rather their cats adopted them. As well many chose not to train them. So I believe I will reframe from training Spot as well."

Geordi then chuckled at B-4 and his cat and moved towards Spot to pet her. "How are you doing, girl?" Geordi asked just before he had to pull his hand away from the cat as she began to hiss at Geordi and tried to scratch him.

"Perhaps some behavioural modification training might be advisable," said B-4.

Data and B-4 exited the memory file when the mysterious energy arc began to form between them again only to disappear again.

"Data," with B-4 speaking up after a few tense seconds, "For a moment I began to remember more outside of what the memories I have at present to which I cannot explain."

"As did I," said Data. "I began to remember events after my death, just as I am beginning to receive impressions of the last memory file."

Data pointed to the remaining memory file. "Curious," said B-4. "I have the impression that..."

"That our journey is nearing the end. The intense sensation of terror, then submission," Data continued, which caused B-4 to turn back to Data. They looked at each other noticing that they are both being affected by B-4 replaying his memories. They then nodded to each other and moved towards the memory file only to be stopped.

"Data, is there a problem?" B-4 asked his brother.

"I am uncertain," said Data. "The memory file is familiar, yet unfamiliar."

"That is the memory file that was triggered by my recognition protocols," said B-4. "I find myself not wanting to review it, yet I do not have a choice in the matter."

"I agree," said Data. "Perhaps it will state why my presence is required for when you want to access those memories."

B-4 nodded while both androids activated the remaining memory files.

End part 8


	9. Chapter 9

Casualties were light, but all that remained of the Enterprise's saucer was a broken shell of what it once was. B-4, Riker, Worf, and most of the uninjured bridge crew exited the wrecked bridge module seeing the world they crashed on and the gorge that the saucer left on the planet surface. They mostly thought about how thankful they were to be alive, yet seeing their home for the past 7 years has been destroyed.

B-4's thoughts were still wrapped around seeing the Enterprise's stardrive section being sheered in half by the warp core breach, then pulverized when the core breach ruptured the antimatter storage systems. Even the embarrassment when he said, "Oh, SHIT!" that brought him out of his petrifying fear when he saw the saucer falling towards the planet. Even though there was a procedure of such a landing, he remembered it was a best case scenario to which many variables the disabled saucer did not conform to.

"Alright," Riker finally saying in a sombre moment, "Data, I want you to engage the ship's disaster beacon, and begin scanning the environment to see if there is any nearby food and water sources just in case."

"Aye, sir," B-4 said with great sadness. He began walking on the hull to find an access port to the ship's beacon for the Enterprise crew to be rescued. As he moved he heard Riker continuing with, "Deanna, I want you to help with treating the wounded. Needless to say a little counselling would help a lot. Mr. Worf, you and I will begin a phase 1 search for any trapped crew members as well as..."

"Aye, sir," Worf acknowledged.

"As soon as we can," Riker continued, "We're going to have to see if the any of the shuttlecrafts are operational to rescue Captain Picard. I'm not sure if..."

Riker was interrupted by an explosion in the sky forcing B-4 to look up. Soran managed to launch his missile into the Veridian sun causing it to collapse, which he then knew Captain Picard failed. But rather than feeling the sense of terror and submission, he realized he had seen this before. It was the Christmas ornament that had activated his recognition protocols.

"This is it," B-4 said with total astonishment. "This is where I came from."

At that moment he felt someone put something on his arm. He looked down and saw a small device latched onto his sleeve. He realized it was a transporter lock on beacon when he felt an annular confinement beam surrounding him and the familiar sensation of being dematerialized, and then everything went dark.

"That was it," B-4 said as he and Data exited the memory file. "That is where the changes to the time line occurred."

"Yes," said Data. "In my time line, Captain Picard succeeded in stopping Soran with the help of Captain James T. Kirk who was also trapped in the temporal nexus. But who was that that placed the transporter beacon on you?"

"I do not know," said B-4. "I did not see his face. As well, this does not explain as to why you..."

Just then the energy arc appeared for the third time between the 2 androids in full force. They were not as concerned about the energy arc as to what they were seeing.

"Curious," said Data. "I am seeing myself looking down upon my head when we found you on Kolaris 3."

"As I am seeing my head from your angle," B-4 said. "As well as the impressions you had received when you discovered me. Something I had never experienced before."

"I am also seeing Dr. Maddox defending me and my rights as an individual the same way Captain Picard had done for me," said Data with extraordinary fascination. "Correction, my rights, not mine... No, yours"

"Artim," said B-4. "I remember a boy named Artim whom I befriended on the Ba'ku colony. And I remember being tempted by the Borg Queen's offer for 0.68 seconds, as well as feeling the desire for her offer."

"Ooooh," said Data as he cringed as to what he saw. "I am feeling the regret for causing Dr. Sumner's injury.

Curious," Data continued. "I am seeing my rights' being put to the test again, but this time Bruce Maddox is the one who is defending me."

Just then all of the portraits in the gallery began to move and float away from the walls. The gallery walls began to disappear as the arc began to build further between the 2 androids. They began to realign themselves as both B-4 and Data looked on.

"Data," said B-4. "I believe our neural nets are beginning..."

"...to merge," Data continued. "Fascinating," both androids said at the same time.

"I am beginning to experience the essence of..."B-4 began and Data finishing with, "...of your memories. My memories."

"Our memories," the 2 androids said simultaneously.

"Data, I believe I am experiencing..." B-4 started with Data continuing with, "...anxiety. I too am experiencing..."

"...the same emotion," the 2 androids finishing. "As we are, as I am, ready to accept who I am and what we are." At that instant, the portraits have finished realigning into a solid dome when the energy arc merged the 2 androids into a pure white energy field. B-4 then reactivated with total astonishment as Geordi looked at him with his bionic eyes.

"B-4!" Geordi yelled in front of the android clasping his hands around his shoulders. "B-4, are you alright?"

The android then slowly turned his head towards Geordi and said, "It is me, Geordi. It is Data."

End part 9


	10. Chapter 10

Repairs to the Enterprise were nearly complete as Picard, Geordi, Worf and the newly reborn Data were sitting in the bridge's conference room.

"I am still having difficulty determining if I am Data with B-4's body," said Data, "or if I am B-4 with Data's mind. Even though both are correct and we were once the same android, yet I am still uncertain."

"Could it be compatibility problems with your 2 neural nets?" Geordi asked as he was beside Data facing away from the observation viewports. Picard is seated at the end of the table with Worf on the other side of Data and Geordi.

"It is possible," said Data. "My memories as Data prior to Veridian 3, the best description I can utilize, are the defining moments of me as both Data and B-4 as one. However my memories as B-4, they are me, but I cannot tell if they are me as I am or as I was after I was taken from Veridian 3. It is the same with my memories as Data after Veridian 3."

"And you said you were 'Data' when you reactivated," Geordi said.

"Yes I did," said Data. "I was in error to not allow myself to be called 'Data' since that is who I was up to Veridian 3."

"Data, you didn't know," said Geordi trying to comfort his friend. "None of us knew that the other Data was also you. Hell, none of us expected this."

Data grew silent as he examined and re-examined his friend's words. "That is true, Geordi. But as I said after Veridian 3, I am still having difficulty as to which Data I am."

"Sounds to me you are having what we call an identity crisis," said Picard.

Data nodded in acknowledgement. "I believe you are correct, sir."

"Perhaps you should contact the Aventine," said Worf, "and talk with Captain Ezri Dax. She had the same problem as you do now and perhaps allow you to see yourself as both Data and B-4. She is a trained counsellor."

"Thank you, Mr. Worf," said Data. "I believe I will."

"Data, any idea who put that transporter beacon on you?" asked Picard.

"I am afraid not," Data said. "In fact, I am curious as to why that particular memory file remained intact. I cannot say why, but I had the impression it was saved deliberately.

"When I was running my self-diagnostic, I had found another memory file that was badly garbled. I had spent the last 22 hours, 44 minutes trying to reconstruct it; however I was only able to partially recover it."

"What was it?" Geordi asked.

"It was an audio file," said Data. "What I had recovered was..."

"Are you sure you want to do this sir?" Data said in a garbled voice.

"I am afraid so," said Data in a slightly different garbled voice. "Because this is how I remembered it."

"All attempts to recover further information on that file were unsuccessful," Data said in his regular voice. The whole room grew silent over that ominous message, wondering who it was that rescued Data from the other time line, and more importantly, why?

"Perhaps in time, Mr. Data, you will be able to discover the source of those voices and their reasoning behind them rescuing you," said Picard. "But in the mean time, should I have your Starfleet status reactivated under unusual circumstances?"

Data took a moment to think about it and said, "Not just yet, sir."

"Oh?" said a surprised Picard.

"I still require time to understand what has happened to me," Data said, "as well as to accept the conditions and circumstances that lead me to this event. But most importantly to understand who I am now."

"I understand," said Picard. "Take all the time you need. Self-discovery is another part of being human."

2387

"Captain," said an Andorian woman at the tactical station on the Enterprise, "I am receiving a distress signal near the Romulan border."

"Can you be more specific, Lt. S'Tal?" asked Data who is now the captain of the Enterprise as he approached the tactical station.

"It appears to be coming from a Romulan mining ship," said S'Tal. "It identifies itself as the Narada, and I am also picking up Reman warp signatures. Sir, I'm also picking up a Federation ambassadorial beacon. Sir, it's registered to Ambassador Spock!"

"Mr. Chen, are there any other Federation starships in range of the Narada?" asked the Captain?

"Two, sir," said Chen seated at the helm, "the Exeter and the Kelvin. But we can intercept the distress signal before they can."

"In that case, Mr. Chen, lay in a course for the Narada, maximum warp," said Data. "Mr. Balogun?"

"Yes, sir," said Data's first officer in his strong African accent. "Red alert, all hands battle stations!"

"Course laid in, sir," said Ensign Chen.

The klaxons roared throughout the ship as Data returned to his captain's chair. "Engage."

The end.


End file.
